For Immediate Release: November 12, 2006
Contact: Anthony G. Naglieri (sports@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-2956

Hoag reaches 1,000 career kills, 'Cats best Maine 3-1 in regular season finale
BU will take on No. 3 UMBC in semifinals matchup of America East Tournament Saturday in Albany

Box Score

ORONO, Maine -- Senior middle blocker Megan Hoag (Brunswick, Ohio) became just the seventh player in Binghamton University Volleyball history to reach 1,000 career kills as she recorded 13 kills in a 3-1 victory (32-30, 30-18, 26-30, 30-28) over Maine in the America East regular season finale for both teams Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium.

The senior team captain now has 1,008 kills for her career joining Michele Heck '04 as the second player in the BU rally-scoring era to own 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Additionally, she is one of only five Bearcats in the 36-year history of the program to accomplish the feat. Hoag also tied for the team lead in digs with 16, registering her 14th double-double of the season.

"It was a good team effort overall," said head coach Glenn Kiriyama. "Our outsides were very strong this afternoon. Both Katie (Robertson) and Kat (Kathleen Schauer) hit aggressive and did a good job getting their kills. We scrapped and dug out a bunch of balls and blocked well enough at the right times to pull out those games. Hopefully we can keep it going and play well this weekend."

Robertson (Ancaster, Ontario) led the Bearcats' attack with a match-high 15 kills and 14 digs recording her second double-double in as many days and seventh on the season, while Schauer (Littleton, Colo.) added 11 kills at a team-best .290 clip.

Senior setter Ashley Meffert (Louisville, Ky.) posted her 14th double-double of the season with 45 assists and 16 digs while junior middle blocker Jacki Kane (Centennial, Colo.) added eight kills and a match-high eight blocks. Also for Binghamton, the solid defensive effort of sophomore libero Jaclyn Strader (Kettering, Ohio) yielded a share of the team-high in digs with 16.

Amy Lawson led three Maine players to hit in double figures with a team-high 12 kills. Teammate Lindsay Allman added 11 kills and a match-high 17 digs in the losing effort.

Trailing 29-23 in the game one, the Bearcats rallied ferociously, fighting off six game points en route to a come-from-behind 32-30 victory. BU sustained its momentum in the second game, racing out to a 17-4 lead and cruising to a 30-18 win.

Facing a 2-0 deficit, host Maine captured game three 30-26 and held a 27-26 lead in the late stages of the fourth game before a pair of Schauer kills and the costly Black Bear attack errors gave BU four of the final five points to close out the match.

With the win, Binghamton concludes the 2006 regular season with a 9-3 conference mark and at 15-16 overall, while the Blackbears finish at 4-8 and 6-20 overall.

The defending America East Champion Bearcats' begin their quest for a second consecutive America East Volleyball Championship on Saturday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. when they face No. 3 seeded UMBC at Albany's University Gymnasium.

Notes: For the third-consecutive season, the Great Danes are the top seed for the championship and will take on No. 4 Stony Brook in the first semifinal on Saturday, November 18 at 3 p.m...The title match takes place on Sunday, November 19 at 2 p.m...BU's 9-3 conference record is its second-best mark since joining the America East in 2001